Ladder clamp



June 18, 1929. J ALLEN ET AL 1,717,486

LADDER CLAMP Filed Jan. 9, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l Fio 1/1 vsurorra,

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Patented June 18, 1929 UNITED STATES JAMES E. ALLEN AND HENRY G.scrrwonrrn, on LOGANSPORT, INDIANA, ASSIGNORS' 9 TO BOYER FIRE APPARATUSCOMPANY,

TION OF INDIANA.

or LOGANSPORT, INDIANA, A CORPORA- LADDER CLAMP.

Application filed January 9, 1928. Serial No. 245,423.

This invention relates to means for clamping a number of ladders to afire wagon or truck, and has for its primary objects the supplying ofsuch means adjustable to a wide range of ladder structures; simplicityof construction; positive retaining of the ladders; and quickness ofoperation. Other objects will become apparent in the followingdescription of one form of the invention as shown in the accompanyingdrawings, lIl

which- Fig. 1, is a side elevation of a clamp, on a reduced scale,embodying the invention, shown in reference to ladders on the side of ahose wagon bed;

Fig. 2, a transverse section on the line 22 in Fig. 1, showing a topplan view of the clamp;

Fig. 3, a vertical section on the l1ne33 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4, a side elevation of the cam block;

Fig. 5, a forward end elevation of the clamp; and

Fig. 6, a rear end elevation of the clamp.

Like characters of reference indicate like parts throughout the severalviews of the drawings.

To the side 10 of the bed of a hose wagon is secured a verticallydisposed ladder iron 11 which has a foot 12 extending horizontallytherefrom on which the ladders 13 and 14 are placed to rest on theirside rails. A similar iron and foot (not shown) supports the other endsof the ladders.

On the ladder iron 11 is mounted the clamp body 15, a slot being formedon the inner side of the body to engage snugly over the iron, and theears 19 and 20 project up and down, respectively from the body 15 alongthe iron 11 to have bolts 18 passed therethrough into the iron 11 tosecure the body 15.

The forward side of the body 15 has two spaced apart ears 16 and 17extending rearwardly and outwardly, between which is pivotally securedthe positioning block 21 by the pin 22. On the forward side of the body15 is a box-like outwardly and rearwardly extending housing 23, andbetween this housing 23 and the ears 16, and 17, the body 15 is formedto receive therein a rung 24 of the inner ladder.

The block 21 is curved on its rear face to engage around the rung 24 andaid in positioning and retaining the rung 24,

shown in Fig. 2.

Eye-bolts 25 and 26 are screw-threadedly engaged in the block 21 inaspaced apart relation, as indicated in Fig. 5, and a saddleblock 27 ispivotally secured between the bolts 25 and 26 by a bolt 28 slidinglypassed through the eye of the bolt 25 and one end of the block 27, andscrew-threadedly passed through the eye of the bolt26. The eyebolts 25and 26 are here shown of the proper length extended from the block 21'to permit the saddle-block 27' to be properly passed around the outerside of the rung 29 of the outer ladder.

The saddle-block 27 is compressively engaged against the rung 29 by thepull of the yoke 30 which is pivotally attached by its legs to the rearend of the saddle-block 27 by the pin 31, to be pulled inwardly by thecam block 32 which engages over the transverse bar of the yoke by thehook 33.

The cam block 32 is rectangular in cross section and is slidingly guidedin a transverse, horizontal position to travel within the housing 23,the housing 23 being open at both its inner and outer ends. 'On itsrear' side, the cam block 32 has a slot 34 cut vertically thereacross toleave the inner shoulder 35 and outer shoulder 36, Fig. 6. Extendinglongi tudinally through the rearwardly extending housing boss 37 is thecam shaft 38 which carries the cam 39 on its forward end within the slot34 between the shoulders 35 and 36. An operating, handle 40 is fixed tothe rear end of the shaft 38 to hang normally downwardly. The cam 39 issubstantially circu- 90 lar in contour and is mounted eccentrically ofthe shaft 38 to have its major portion turned inwardly when the handle40 hangs downwardly so that the cam block 32 is thereby carried inwardlytoits inmost position, as shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 6, when the greatestpressure is exerted by the saddle-block 27 on the ladder rung 29.

The faceof the cam 39 is flattened on its extreme inner side, Figs. 3and 6, so that to turn the cam 39 from the clamped position, a slightlygreater pressure is exerted on the ladder rung 29 as the cam 39 isrocked over the corner a, there being sufficient spring or elasticity inthe rung 29 to permit the application of such increased pressure;

the cam-blockQ'? is retained in the clamped position aganst accidentaldisplacement that would release the ladders.

Since the saddle-block 27 compressively engages against theouter rung29, the rails mamas of the ladder having the rung 29 are yieldinglypressed against the two rails 45 of the inner ladder having the rung 21- to carry the rails 45 againstthe ladder irons 11, whereby the twoladders are efl'eetively held against any displacement until the clamphandle 40 is turned around to a vertical po- 7 sition.

Asthe handle ,40 is swung outwardly around, upwardly and inwardly towardthe bed side l0, the cam 39 carries the block 32 outwardly to permit theyoke to be disengaged from the block hook 33 to allow the saddle-block27 to be swung outwardly and the positioning block 21 forwardly from therungs 29 and so that the ladders may be removed,

A spring 46 compressively engages between the body side 10 and the camblock 32 to tend to force the cam block 32 outwardly, thereby servingnotonly as an aid to maintain the shoulder 35 in contact with the flatsection of the cam face when the block'32 is in its inner clampedposition but also to kick the block 32 outwardly when the handle ispulled around to the upper posi tion, and further as means to retain thehandle, 40 in the upper position to keep the block-32 outermost untilthe ladders are returned to be clamped. V

The forward side of the housing 23 is bored through (Fig. 2) to permitthe shaft 38 and its cam 39 formed integrally thereon, to be insertedfrom the forward side, the block 32 being similarly bored through, topermit the shaft 38 tobe inserted and slid through the boss 37' to bringthe cam 39 into the slot St on the rear side of the block 32, and thehandle 40 is attached to the shaft 38 from the rear end.

li hile we have here described the invention in the form now bestvknownto us, it

is obvious that tl'ie'structure maybe varied considerably from the formas shown without departing from the spirit of the invention,

j such as for one example, the eye bolts and yoke may be lengthened sothat three or more ladders may be'clamped together, and we,

therefore do not'desire to be limited, to the,

7 V 1 precise term as shown, nor any more than v may be required by thefollowing claims.

iVh at we claim, is:

1. in a device for securing-a ladder to a body, a clamp body, apositioning block pivoted to :the clamp body, a saddle-block, means foradjustably positioning said saddle-block from the positioning block,- acam-block slidingly carried by the clamp body,means for releasablyengaging the saddle-block with the body, a clamp body, a positioningblock piv- 'in'gly carried by the clamp body, means for releasablyengaging the saddle-block with the cam-block, and means actuating saidcam- ,block to pull said saddle-block toward said clamp body and springmeans normally eX- tending said cam-block from said clamp body.

3. ln a device for securing a ladder toa body, a clamp body, apositioning block pivot ed to the clamp body, a saddle-block, means foradjustably positioning said saddle-block from the positioning block, acam-block slidin ly carried by the clamp body, means for S5 releasablyengaging the saddle-block with the, cam-block, and an actuating camassociated *ith the cam-block. j

4. In a device for securing a ladder to a body, a clamp body, apositioning block pivoted to the clamp body, a saddle-block .means:- foradjustably positioning said saddle-block from the positioning block, acam-block slidingly carried by the clamp body, means for releasablyengaging the saddle-block with the cam-block, and an actuatingcam-associated: with the cam-block said cam having a contourwhereby'said saddle-block is carried by said cam block inwardly slightlybefore it may travel outwardly.

5. In a device for clamping a plurality of ladders to a body by engagingthe rungs of the ladders, a clamp body, a rung positioning block pivotedto the clamp body, an'extensible member carried by the positioningblock, a saddle-block pivoted to the extensible member, said positioningblock swinging sible member, said positioning block swinging around arung of the ladder adjacent said body and said saddle-block swingingaround the outside of a rung of the outermost of said ladders, a hookmember extensibly carried by the clamp body, means for detachablyinterconnecting said saddleblock with said hook member, and meansactuating said hook memher to cause said saddle-block to press on the vrung therebeneath. 7

6. In a device for clamping a plurality of ladders to a body by en agingthe rungs of the ladders, a clamp body, a rung positioning block pivotedto the clamp body, an 8X5 'tensible member carried by the positioning,block, a saddle-block pivoted to the extensible member, said positioningblock adapted to swing around a rung of the ladder adjacent said bodyand said saddle-block swinging around the outside of a rung of theoutermost of said ladders, a hook member extensibly carhook member, andmeans actuating said hook member to cause said saddle-block to press onthe rung therebeneath and means retaining said saddle-block against saidrung in cooperation with the resiliency of said rung.

7. In a device for securing a ladder to a body, a clamp body, a saddleblock, a camblock slidingly carried by the clamp body, means forreleasably engaging the saddle block with the cam-block, and a camcarried by the clamp body adapted to extend and nithdraw said cam-blockupon rotation there 0 ed to the clamp body, a saddle-block supn portedfrom said positioning block, a cam-;

block slidingly carried by the clamp body, means releasably engaging thesaddle-block with the cam block, and means actuating said cam-block topull said saddle-block toward said clamp body.

In testimony whereof We affix our signatures.

JAMES E. ALLEN. HENRY G. SCHWOEPPE.

